Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) — Job openings in the fell in December from an almost six-year high and hiring slowed, a sign the labor market cooled at the end of the year.

The number of positions waiting to be filled declined by 43,000 to 3.99 million, from a revised 4.03 million the prior month, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Fewer Americans quit their jobs.

The report follows data last week that showed a smaller- than-projected gain in January payrolls after a weather- depressed December, marking the weakest back-to-back advance in three years. Faster hiring would help spur the wage growth needed to boost the consumer spending that accounts for almost 70 percent of the economy.

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